U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,958,266, 6,479,785, 6,787,730 and 6,867,387 describe methods and apparatus for incising tissue using plasma, and their separate disclosures are hereby incorporated by reference into the present application. These patents disclose how to generate and maintain plasma without using a traditional gas or liquid fuel (e.g., Argon). Instead, these patents disclose how to generate and maintain plasma using atomic particles which surround the point of incision. Several of the patents describe a handpiece 26 with an incising electrode tip 28. In operation, the handpiece is grasped by the user (i.e., surgeon), and the incising electrode tip 28 is used to create an incision in tissue.
However, the above-reference patents do not disclose specific methods for maintaining sterility in an operating environment, such as for example, through the use of disposable operating members.
Thus, there is presently a need for an apparatus which permits the simple and efficient incision of tissue using plasma, but which also maintains operating sterility.